the wild youth
by mermaidm0tel
Summary: some AU stuff about the gay children of arcadia bay
1. Chapter 1

**Sleepover**

* * *

"Hi, Max!" Kate greeted as soon as the door opened.

Max smiled. "Hey, Kate."

"This better be good, Maxine," Victoria snapped from behind Kate, only a slight hint of annoyance in her voice. In her hands were bottles of vodka, which Max eyed curiously. "Stole them. Just in case things get boring."

The girls walked in and Max closed the door behind them.

Kate waved at the blue-haired girl leaning on the banister. "Hey, Chloe."

"Hey, it's Kate! Literal precious marshmallow," came Chloe's greeting from the stairs. "Hey, Icky Vicky."

"Clever," Victoria said sarcastically. She eyed Chloe's oversized shirt and the jean shorts peeking out from underneath. "Jesus, Chloe, put some pants on."

"Oh Vicky, you know I can't keep my pants on when Super Max is around."

Max coughed, blushing madly. Not noticing, Victoria looked around as Max took the bottles from her and placed them on the kitchen counter.

"Cozy!" Kate said, smiling as she looked at the blankets laid over the carpet around the small coffee table, and the pillows strewn everywhere.

"This place looks a lot better than the last time I was here," said Victoria.

"It's all Mom," Chloe said, walking down the stairs, two steps at a time.

"Where is she?" Kate asked, dumping Victoria's bag and her own on the couch. "I haven't seen her around."

"She's on a holiday trip with step-dude," Chloe said. "He got a new job and all that crap."

"That's good for them," Kate said. "Who else is coming?"

"Juliet, Dana, Brooke – I think – and Warren…" Max trailed off. "I don't know, really."

"Warren?" Chloe asked pointedly.

"M-maybe. I'm not sure. Why?"

Chloe waved her off. "Nothing."

Victoria groaned. "If no one else comes, you two better not gay it up and make us thirdwheel."

Kate giggled.

Chloe grinned. "No promises. Hey, come see the back. We got a pool!"

"I know, you only told me to bring something to swim in 47 times." Victoria rolled her eyes. "But fine, I'll look anyway."

"Oh yeah!" Chloe said, walking Victoria to the back door. "You coming, Super Max?"

"In a sec," Max called back as the doorbell rang. Chloe and Victoria disappeared to the backyard and she went to open the door.

Juliet and Dana waved simultaneously. "Hey, Max."

"Hey, come on in," Max said, smiling. "Hey, Warren."

"Hey, Max!" Warren greeted. "Thanks for—"

"That's okay, let's go in."

Warren nodded, stepping inside. Max closed the door and led him to the living room.

"You can leave your bag there."

"Thanks. Hey, where's the bathroom?"

"Upstairs. You'll know which one."

"Sweet. Thanks," Warren said, heading upstairs.

Max turned around to see Dana and Juliet leaning against the counter, staring at her with knowing smirks.

"Gosh, he's totally in love with you," Dana laughed.

Max shook her head.

Meanwhile, Chloe and Victoria sat on the edge of the pool, a pack of smokes between them. Chloe wiggled her toes in the water, looking anywhere but Victoria.

"So what's the deal, Price?" Victoria asked, breathing out smoke. "I thought you hate me."

Chloe looked up. "No shit."

Victoria rolled her eyes.

"I hate everyone. Don't take it personally."

"Right… Did—" Victoria hesitated. "Did you want to talk? About something?"

A steady stream of smoke spewed out of Chloe's open mouth. She shrugged.

"Are you PTSD about the whole "end of the world" thing that never actually happened?"

"Little bit."

"Max?"

Chloe stiffened visibly for a second, then shook her head.

 _Gotcha_ , Victoria thought, stubbing out her cigarette.

"Okay, if you say so," she said, craning her neck to peek inside the house. "Wow, a pillow fight? How lame… Oh, Chloe, you _have_ to see this!"

Chloe leaned over slightly, just in time to see Warren grab Max's arm and try to steer her away from Juliet and Dana. "What's that Wally kid think he's doing?"

Victoria smiled to herself, and faking a nonchalant voice, said, "Warren? Looks like he's trying to tell her something. Seems urgent."

"Urgent my ass," Chloe muttered.

"That guy's totally hot for Max," Victoria teased.

"He's so fucking in love with her."

"Like you are," said Victoria.

Chloe's head whipped back so fast, Victoria thought she might get whiplash.

"I don't know what you're on about," she said lamely, taking a drag and blowing a smoke ring.

Victoria watched her, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah right."

Chloe sighed. "I've got to ask her out."

"Damn straight," Victoria said. "Or in your case, damn gay."

Chloe looked at her incredulously before she burst out laughing.

"What? I'm just tired of you two pining after each other all the goddamn time."

"Aww, Victoria, you do care!"

"Ugh."

"You're not as bad as I thought you were, Chase."

"Yeah, yeah," Victoria said, a small smile gracing her lips. "God, my hands are fucking freezing. You got a plan, Price?"

* * *

"Hey, listen, Max…"

Max grimaced internally. Warren has been sputtering in front of her for God knows how long. "Yes?"

"I really—"

"Hello, naughty children," Chloe said, obnoxiously loud, as she strolled in. "Time for movies."

Warren's face fell. "Oh, right."

Max offered him a small smile before joining Chloe on the couch.

"You guys up for _The Cabin in the Woods?_ " Juliet asked, turning on the hi-fi.

"I'll get the drinks… and make popcorn too," said Dana, getting up and walking to the kitchen.

Chloe watched Juliet finish setting up the movie. "Who hasn't seen this?"

"I haven't," Max said, scooting closer.

"Me too," Kate said, already in her sleeping bag. She was sidled up near an armchair occupied by Juliet. "I'm a little spooked out now."

"It's a horror comedy," said Warren.

"I hope it won't be too scary."

Victoria rolled her eyes, grabbing her sleeping bag and settling down next to the couch. "Why don't we just watch a goddamn Disney movie?"

"I'll be fine," Kate squeaked. The menu screen popped up and Juliet pressed play, scooting back to her spot.

Warren grabbed his sleeping bag and dragged it over next to Kate. "Don't worry, it's not that scary."

Dana came back from the kitchen with a tray laden with drinks and popcorn. She set it down on the coffee table and sat on the armchair next to Juliet's. "One of the characters is called Dana too."

"The virgin?" Victoria said, grinning.

"No talking, guys," said Juliet.

The group fell silent, getting engrossed in the movie.

Towards the end, Chloe glanced down, accidentally making eye contact with Victoria. The latter grinned mischievously and returned her gaze to the screen. Confused, Chloe dismissed it.

As the giant hand onscreen burst from the ground, Victoria wrapped an ice-cold hand around Max's ankle and tugged, making her scream. The group laughed collectively.

"Jesus!" Max hid her face on Chloe's shoulder, gripping the back of her shirt tightly, embarrassed and trying to calm her racing heart.

Chloe chuckled as she put an arm around Max. "It's alright, Super Max."

"S'not funny," came Max's muffled response.

The doorbell rang and everyone froze.

"I'm not answering that," Kate said, a pillow clutched tightly in her hands.

"You're all so chickenshit." Juliet rolled her eyes. She got up and opened the door. "Hey, Nathan. Jesus, you look like shit."

"Thanks, Juls."

Juliet let him in and shut the door. "Why are you late?"

Nathan grinned. "Scored some! Let's blaze this bitch!"

"Maybe later," Chloe said.

Victoria nodded. "It's still pretty early."

"Whatever," Nathan shrugged, finding a place to sit.

"Everyone cool with playing seven minutes?" Victoria asked, eyes on Kate.

"I could just host the game," Kate said.

"You all better not do it on my bed," Chloe added. "Use the guest room."

Kate had been eating ice cream and watching cartoons, but now she was being made to hold a hat. They sat in a circle, eight pairs of eyes trained on aforementioned hat. So far, Dana and Victoria had had a turn, then Victoria and Nathan, and then Nathan and Warren (which just ended up in a fight).

Kate offered the hat to Warren.

Warren inhaled nervously as he drew a piece of paper out. "Max."

"Okay, then…" the brunette said, slowly following Warren into a room.

"Alright…" Max started as he closed the door. "What the hell."

Warren smiled. "So…hey."

"Look, I know what you've been trying to tell me," Max said.

"You do?"

"Everybody knows, Warren."

"Oh."

"Warren, you're a nice guy," Max sighed. "You're really sweet. I'm lucky to have you as a friend. I don't want to lose that, okay?"

"Okay," Warren shrugged. "Y-yeah, I get it."

"I'm sorry…" Max bit her lip. "If it makes you feel better, there's other girls crushing on you, and they deserve you more, honestly."

"Really?"

"Totally."

"So...you and Chloe, huh?"

"Uh… Oh Dog. Can we just play patty cake till this is over?"

And they did, until Victoria called them back.

"Did you guys even do anything?"

"You bet we did," Warren answered as he sat down. Max put a hand on her forehead.

Victoria and Chloe shared a look. Max rolled her eyes.

"We just played patty cake."

"Okay, Max, your turn," Kate said, holding out the hat to the brunette.

 _Oh Dog_ , Max thought as she reached into the hat. She pulled out a slip of paper that felt like it was folded differently from the others. She unfolded it, heat rising to her cheeks as she read the name silently.

Max made her way to Chloe and grabbed her hand. Chloe let herself get dragged towards the stairs.

"Game over," Victoria muttered.

Warren's eyes followed them until they disappeared upstairs. "What do you mean—"

"They're going to Chloe's room. Come on, you know they're going to take longer than seven minutes," Victoria said.

"What?"

"Christsakes, Warren, they're going to fuck," Juliet said exasperatedly.

"Oh."

Max had barely closed the door when Chloe pushed her up against it, hands on her wrists, pinning them against the wood.

"Whoa, Chloe, what— _mmpf!_ "

The door clicked shut, the sounds inside the room now inaudible to the group downstairs.

"So," Victoria started. "Who's up for a swim?"

* * *

Max opened her eyes to light filtering in through the window from the streetlight outside. Chloe's arms were around her, a blanket thrown over the two of them. She turned onto her side in Chloe's embrace to face her and smiled.

Chloe kissed the tip of the brunette's nose. "Hi."

"Hi," Max's voice was scratchy from sleep.

"It's getting loud," Chloe mused, scooting to the end of her bed and bending over to grab her discarded bra off the floor.

Max hummed a response, grabbing her camera from the bedside table and looking (more like squinting) at the bluenette through it.

"I think they broke out the booze," said Chloe as she sat back up.

"You should probably check on them, see if they're all still alive."

Chloe turned slightly to look at her and laughed.

 _Perfect_ , Max thought as she pressed the shutter.

"Hey! You took a _nude_ —"

"Not really, but…yeah, technically." Max smiled as she looked at the picture. Chloe was looking at the camera, blue hair tousled and mouth slightly open in the middle of a laugh, her tattooed arm barely covering the curve of her breast. "You look beautiful."

Chloe threw on a _The Kinks_ shirt, hoping it was dark enough that Max couldn't see her cheeks redden. "You're not so bad yourself, Super Max."

"No… It's so _you_ ," Max said, holding up the photo. "I love it."

"I'll pretend I know what you're talking about," Chloe said flippantly, pressing a kiss on her temple.

Max smiled. "Okay."

"I'll go see what's going on outside," said Chloe, giving Max another kiss before pushing herself off the bed and heading out, closing the door behind her.

Moments later, the door flew open and Victoria burst in. "Aha!"

"Jesus!" Max cried, scrambling to pull the blanket up to her chest.

"No, just me," Victoria said. "So you and Chloe totally hooked up!"

"Dude, I'm naked, get out!"

"Fine." Victoria rolled her eyes before walking towards Chloe's closet. She pulled out a flannel and tossed it at Max. "Get dressed. I want every detail later, okay?"

"Yes! Geez."

Max waited until Victoria was gone and put on Chloe's shirt.

* * *

"The lesbians have claimed you," Warren said over his shoulder as he walked past Max into the house, smiling.

"Ha, okay, Warren," Max laughed, looking around the backyard.

Kate, Dana and Juliet were playing Marco Polo. Nathan was stationary in front of Chloe, who was sitting sideways on the poolside downing alcohol, joint in hand. Nathan splashed some water on her and swam away, whooping.

"Asshole!" Chloe fumed.

Max sat beside her. "Hey."

Chloe looked at her, eyes smouldering. She leaned in and whispered, voice low and hoarse. "Do you know how bad I want to rip that shirt off you right now?"

" _Chloe!_ " Max hissed, blushing scarlet.

"You're so fucking adorable," Chloe laughed. "Shotgun?"

The brunette scrunched up her face in confusion. "What's that?"

"You'll know."

"Okay."

"Hold still," Chloe said, before taking a hit and moving in close.

Max parted her lips slightly on impulse. They were almost touching Chloe's as she breathed the smoke into Max's mouth. The brunette blushed furiously as she took it in. Her mind was racing with thoughts of kissing Chloe, the feeling of Chloe's skin on hers _—_

 _Click!_

A flash went off, and a grinning Victoria shook the film in her hand. "Hot."

Max straightened up, cheeks red, as Victoria walked over to show them. She looked at the picture. _Chloe looks so cool…_

"Oh, Max, you already look high," Victoria teased, leaving the photo with them and standing up to roam around.

Max cleared her throat. "Chloe?"

The bluenette turned to face her. "Yeah?"

"Could you…um…could _we_ …" she trailed off, eyeing the joint in Chloe's hand.

Chloe smirked. "Come here."

Max scooted closer to her, settling between her legs. Chloe leaned in and exhaled smoke into her open mouth. To her surprise, Max closed the gap between them and gave her a vicious candy kiss, her hands in Chloe's hair. Chloe smiled against Max's lips and kissed her back, her free hand tracing lazy patterns on the small of Max's back.

Another flash. This time they didn't break away.

"Whoa, try not to swallow each other," Nathan teased.

Chloe pulled away to flip him off.

"This actually turned out good," Victoria said as she sparked a joint.

Suddenly, the lights went off, bathing the group in darkness.

"Whoa."

"What the fuck?"

"Well this is just fucking great."

"Man, I can't see anything."

Max groaned internally. _Power's out_.

"I just _had_ to say something, didn't I?" Victoria snapped, frustrated.

* * *

 **to be continued! maybe :-) pls tell me if u liked it**


	2. Chapter 2

**i realised i'm not ready to smut yet**

 **maybe another time, kids**

 **in the meantime pls put up with this…whatever this is**

* * *

 **Sleepover, pt. 2**

* * *

Dana rejoined the group on the living room floor, running a towel through her hair. Upon going inside, Chloe had made Nathan, Juliet, Dana and Kate stand on the doormat to towel dry and ordered them to take showers. "Your turn, Kate."

"Finally! Thank you!" Kate said, rushing upstairs.

Chloe locked the glass door to the backyard and drew the curtain over it, doing the same to the windows. "It's raining pretty hard."

Victoria groaned. "Arcadia Bay is such a shitty place."

"But it's home," Max said.

Chloe grabbed a blanket and threw it on like a shawl. She fell onto the couch wearily. "Speaking of home, I guess we're kind of trapped here."

Max sat down at the end of the couch, her feet tucked under herself, shivering.

"Hey Max, you want a blanket?" Warren asked.

"Oh—"

"She's fine," Chloe said, holding her arms open. Max crawled on top of her, knees on either side of the bluenette's hips, nestling her head against Chloe's clavicle. Chloe closed her arms around Max, covering her with the blanket, dropping a kiss on the top of her head. _And she's mine_.

"Okay, cool." Warren shrugged.

"Aw, you guys are like a little love cocoon," Dana cooed.

Max yawned, buried her face in the crook of Chloe's neck and closed her eyes.

"Yeah, I'm bored now too…" Dana whinged.

"We're going to pl—"

"I wish Trevor was here."

"God, Dana!" Victoria threw a blanket over her, covering her entirely. The blanket narrowly missed the candles on the coffee table. "We're going to play a game."

"Fine," Dana pouted, decidedly staying under the blanket and lying down. "We aren't gonna wait for Kate?"

"I can't just sit around like this," Nathan said, standing up and pacing around the room.

"ADHD much?" Juliet quipped, getting irritated by his constant movement.

"Yes, in fact," Nathan snapped defensively.

"Oh yeah. Oops. Soz."

"You know wh—"

"Sit down," Chloe said, cutting Nathan off before he could launch into a tirade.

"In a circle, losers! Let's play Truth or Dare." Victoria spun an empty bottle on the floor as she drank from another.

Nathan grudgingly sat down and formed a circle with the group.

"We'll pass," Chloe said, not wanting to disrupt the brunette dozing off on her.

"What did I miss?" Kate asked, walking down the stairs.

"Nothing," Dana said monotonously. Kate sat down beside her. "That's how boring—hey, is Max asleep already?"

"It's only 10:30," Warren said. "She's been sleeping a lot lately."

Chloe raised an eyebrow, like, _How would you know?_

"She hasn't been sleeping that well," Chloe said plainly.

"We should let her sleep then," said Kate. "She deserves it. She did save the entire town…"

Warren nodded, looking at the girl sprawled on top of Chloe. "She can't be comfortable like that."

"Yeah, true," Chloe nodded as she tried to sit up, moving as gently as she could so as not to wake up Max. "I'll take her upstairs."

The lights flickered on, much to everyone's delight. Nathan whooped.

"S'loud," Max groaned drowsily, nuzzling up closer against Chloe.

"Hey, you're awake." _Okay… At least I won't have to carry her._ "Let's go upstairs, hm? Come on Sleeping Beauty, up…"

Chloe winced a little when Max's nails dug into her back. _Spoke too soon_ , she thought.

"Come on, Bat-Max, let's get you to bed," Chloe gathered Max in her arms and swept an arm under her knees, before standing up and carrying her up the stairs with some effort. "Be right back!"

"Careful," Kate warned.

Victoria groaned. "That was sickeningly adorable."

"You're sickeningly adorable," Nathan said and winked.

Kate giggled. "Aw, guys!"

Victoria scoffed. "Oh, stop."

"Oh God, everything is so cute…" Juliet lamented.

* * *

Chloe sighed as she gently put Max down on the bed and threw the covers over her. "Do you want me to leave?"

"No. Stay."

Chloe slid into bed next to her. She wriggled back until Chloe draped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. She put her hand atop Chloe's and brought their intertwined hands to her chest. Minutes passed with Max staring at the wall and Chloe waiting for her to fall asleep.

"I know you're awake, you big baby," Max felt Chloe whisper into the nape of her neck.

"Chloe," Max breathed. "What are we?"

A few moments passed in silence.

"I guess we're gal pals," Chloe answered jokingly, her voice tight.

"Seriously," Max sighed.

"Do we have to label it?"

"I guess not," Max said. Chloe heard the edge to her voice. Max sat up and pressed her back on the headboard, her hand still joined with Chloe's.

Chloe tightened her grip on the brunette's hand before she could pull it away. "Hey. That was just a dumb question."

"No, Chlo—"

"Yes, it was," Chloe said, letting go of Max's hand to pull her back down by the leg.

Max ungracefully slid down, hard enough that the bed shook. Chloe wasted no time in straddling her and pinning her wrists above her head.

"Chloe!" Max scolded breathlessly. "What the—"

"Max, shh!"

"Don't tell me to—"

Chloe kissed her hurriedly. "Shut up for a sec, okay?"

 _Okay, here we go. Don't fuck this up._

"I love you. I suck at words, and I suck at this whole feelings thing, but yeah… You're hella cute, and… and I want you. Always. Every time I look at you I just want to kiss your dumb lips and hold your stupid hand and…you know…maybe get you naked sometimes. Or most of the time."

"So… does this mean I'm your girlfriend… and you're mine?"

"Yes, genius, it does," Chloe rolled her eyes before letting go of her girlfriend's wrists and leaning down for another kiss. She pulled away after a few long moments, eliciting a sigh from the brunette. "I love you, Max."

"I love you too." Max's eyes were half-lidded with desire, trained on Chloe's lips. "Just… just give me a—"

"Okay," Chloe breathed, planting a kiss on Max's lips. She eased off of her knees, situating herself between Max's legs, arms on either side of her head to hold herself up steadily.

Max kissed back vigorously. Chloe was warm and she tasted like peppermint lip balm, liquor and cigarettes, and Max wanted more. She broke away for air as her hands crept up Chloe's shirt.

Chloe swiftly took it off and tossed it away. She expertly undressed Max, unbuttoning her flannel and pulling it off. She removed Max's cutesy lace bra with one hand and threw it aside.

"You have to teach me how to do that," Max mumbled, resting her hands on Chloe's shoulders and pulling her down.

"I'm kind of busy at the moment." Chloe smirked before leaning in for a kiss. She dragged her lips along Max's jaw and left bruising kisses just below her ear, down her neck and the valley between her breasts. She ran her hands along Max's sides and peppered her stomach with soft kisses, moving lower and lower with each kiss.

She looked up to see Max watching her, her lower lip caught between her teeth. She pressed kisses to the insides of her thighs and hooked her thumbs on Max's underwear. She slid them off, never breaking eye contact.

"Fuck…"

"Your wish is my command."

* * *

"What took you so long?" Victoria asked. "You missed Truth or Dare."

"Oh, uh… I waited for Max to fall asleep," Chloe said. She technically wasn't lying.

"Aw, she's asleep? She didn't even tell me what happened earlier with you guys."

Chloe's cheeks burned as her thoughts wandered to Max underneath her, nervous yet eager, lips kiss-swollen, doe eyes looking up at her through long eyelashes…

"…you listening?"

"Oh, yeah, totally."

"I asked you what happened," Victoria said.

"Uh… we became official gal pals and then she went to bed."

"Nice!" Dana said, clapping. "Congrats, Chloe!"

"Chloe, are you okay?" Kate asked, concerned. "Your face looks warm. And your knees are red…"

"Oh my _God_ , Kate."

"Jeez, Chloe," Victoria teased. "Sure you guys weren't doing anything else?"

"Yes," Chloe snapped.

"Right."

"Whatever, Vicky. So…what do we do tomorrow?"

"Don't worry, we came up with plans for tomorrow while you and Max were fuc—"

"Victoria!"

"Fine, fine. We were thinking of watching a movie."

"And having a picnic," said Juliet.

"Then we can go to the carnival!" Kate added. "It's great at night."

"Awesome," Chloe said, walking towards the fridge. "Oh man, I'm hungry."

Victoria raised an eyebrow at her. "I thought you just ate…"

The group snickered collectively, except for Warren and Kate, who were completely lost.

Chloe shut the refrigerator and glared at the blonde. "Shut up, Victoria."

"Come on, Chloe, we're just pulling your peach!"

"Fuck you guys, I'm out," Chloe said petulantly, trudging upstairs. She walked into her room to find Max curled up in her bed, wearing another one of her flannels. She closed the door.

Max lifted her head and smiled. "Oh, hi."

"God, you're so fucking adorable," Chloe said, jumping Max (quite literally) and wrapping her arms around the brunette, attacking her with kisses.

"Chloe, chill!"

"My small human bean! I need to love you!"

* * *

The next morning, Victoria burst into Chloe's room, fuming and ready to drag the couple out by their ears. "Jesus, we've been calling you guys for a whole hour, we're going to be…"

The room was peaceful and quiet. The curtains were pulled shut, bathing the room in a dim golden light. Chloe and Max lay tangled together in bed, so close that Victoria couldn't really tell whose limb was whose.

As happy as she was for them, she really didn't want to miss the movie.

Victoria climbed onto the bed and rose to her feet, arms out to keep herself from toppling over. As soon as she found her balance, she jumped.

"Rise and shine! Wake up, lovebirds!"

* * *

 **thank u my children! i'm sorry this took so long :( send me pricefield prompts n stuff in the reviews pls! don't need to if you don't want to, i'll come up with other shit**


	3. Chapter 3

"See you later!"

It was with that dismissive sentence that Chloe found herself shoved out of Max's dorm room.

"Huh. Okay."

 _Guess Super Max really does want to get her nerd on_.

Chloe frowned, a little upset about being unceremoniously kicked out, but shrugged it off in understanding and pulled her phone out of her pocket. Strolling down the hall back towards the dorm entrance, Chloe scrolled through her contacts, found the one she wanted and raised the phone to her ear.

"Hey, Rach."

/

Max sighed in relief as she sagged in her chair.

 _Wowsers. A whole morning of science on a Saturday really does take its toll._

The brunette sluggishly reached for her phone to check for messages. She read a mass text from Dana about a girls-only party, the usual good morning text from Kate, one from Victoria about a study session, and none from Chloe. She replied to Dana with a "maybe", sent Kate a "good morning, have fun today", and took up Victoria's offer.

She opened her conversation with Chloe and skimmed through the latest messages.

 ** _morning, max the marauder!_**

 **Good morning, Captain Chloe.**

 ** _sup?_**

 **Studying. I think my brain is bleeding**

 ** _i'm coming to save that booty_**

Max worried her lip, the guilt from neglecting her best friend earlier setting in. She shot Chloe an apologetic text and stood up to get dressed.

She was pulling on the first sweatshirt she had set hands on when her phone vibrated on her desk. She scrambled over to it, almost tripping in the process. She opened the new message from Chloe.

 ** _it's cool, bat-max_**

 **Okay. I'm done for the day, wanna hang out? :D**

 ** _eh, why not. at the two whales atm._**

 ** _and no emoji!_**

 **see you there! :-)**

Max grabbed her bag and exited the dorm. Glancing down at her phone to see if Chloe had replied, she failed to avoid running into someone.

"Crap! Oh, I'm—"

"Sorry!"

"No, I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I was – oh, hey, Kate."

"Max! Hey, are you okay?" the blonde asked, concern lacing her voice.

"Y-yeah," Max nodded. "Why? Are you okay?"

"I bumped into Chloe this morning and she didn't look too happy. Did something happen? Lovers' quarrel?"

Max squinted. "What?"

"Oh, no, I'm sorry if I'm being too nosey! I'll see you later, Max!" Kate said before rushing past.

"What?"

/

Twenty minutes later, Max walked into the diner, exchanging waves and smiles with Joyce. She walked towards her usual booth with Chloe, slowing down when she noticed that the blue-haired girl had company.

 _Is_ _that Rachel?_ Max shook her head slightly and resumed her pace. _It's cool that she's here. Maybe we can finally meet "properly"._

"...bumped into Kate. She's hella sweet, hey? Oh, dude, guess what happened!" Chloe was raving.

"What? You know I can never guess," Rachel giggled.

Max stopped in front of the booth, smiling. "Hey, guys."

Rachel diverted her gaze to the brunette and grinned. "Hi there."

"Hey," Chloe patted the spot next to her. "I was just telling Rachel about how you kicked me out."

"I so didn't kick you out," Max rolled her eyes and slid onto the seat, bumping her elbow onto Chloe's side on purpose.

"Ow! What was that—"

"You're giving Rachel a horrible impression of me!"

"Oh, come on, Caulfield. She already thinks you're a dork."

" _You're_ a—"

The two abruptly stopped. Rachel was staring at the duo, smirking. Max knitted her eyebrows in bemusement.

"So, you're _the_ Max Caulfield," Rachel mused playfully. "I've heard so much about you."

"Good things, I hope," Max joked.

"Of course," Rachel waved dismissively, flashing Max yet another one of her perfect smiles.

"Anyway," Chloe said pointedly. "I was walking by and this chick got hit by a football. She turned around and dead-ass called me a twig bitch! As if I could've done anything – heck, I was on the other side of—"

"Was it Alyssa?" the other two said in unison, then shared a look.

Chloe shrugged, oblivious. "Yeah, everyone knows—"

"She's so accident prone!"

"Right? She's really unlucky sometimes!"

Chloe snapped her fingers. "Hey, are you gonna let me finish my story or what?"

Rachel gasped, grabbing Chloe's raised hand. "I love your nails!"

Max's gaze followed their linked hands. She felt an inexplicable wave of annoyance seize her for a moment. She clenched her teeth.

 _Whoa, what? Come on, Max. She's being friendly. What's wrong with you?_

"And they match your hair," Rachel exclaimed. "Aw, Chloe!"

"Yeah, yeah," Chloe huffed impatiently, yanking her hand away.

Rachel laughed. "It's cute!"

"Uh-huh."

"Anyway, I gotta jet," said Rachel, pushing herself up. "It was nice to finally meet you, Max."

The brunette smiled with pursed lips. "You too, Rachel."

"Catch you later, Rach."

Rachel leaned over to kiss Chloe's cheek, ruffled Max's hair and slid out of the booth. "See ya kids!"

Max didn't miss the wink she sent Chloe on her way out.

Her stomach felt like it had dropped and burned. Her brain felt muddled from all her negative thoughts buzzing about.

Chloe stretched out on her seat. "So, Super Max, you hungry?"

"No," the brunette said curtly.

"Whoa, okay. You wanna do something else?"

"Yeah," Max sighed. "Yeah, okay."

Seeing the girl's sullen expression, Chloe threw an arm across her shoulders. "You're hella tense. Let's go chill at my house, hm? You can even sleep over!"

Max nodded.

"Yeah? You get the honor of helping me do my homework!" Chloe withdrew her arm and prodded the brunette's side, earning a small smile in return. "Come on. Up and at 'em, girl!"

/

"So, what's got you down, hippie?"

Max dropped her controller, startled. "Mm?"

The two had been lying on their stomachs in the dark, with the only light coming from the television, as they played video games (for what must've been 2 hours now).

Max had admittedly been too distracted ever since the drive home. She was lost in thought and practically unresponsive.

"You've been staring at me like I'm going to disappear since we got into the truck," Chloe said simply, her voice light. "I'd say 'take a picture, it'll last longer', but you did that too."

Max blushed at the memory – her spur-of-the-moment decision to take a picture of Chloe as she drove, one hand on the wheel and the other running through her hair.

 _How do you make me want you without even realizing it?_

 _Oh no._

 _Am I in love with my best friend?_

A loud "K.O.!" rang through the room, pulling Max out of her reverie. Chloe paused the game and sat upright.

"Hey, you cheated," came Max's half-hearted protest as she rolled over onto her back. "I dropped my controller."

Chloe snorted. "Like it matters. You've lost for like, the millionth time."

"You're just good at this game," Max said weakly.

Chloe rolled her eyes. "I appreciate the flattery, but I'd appreciate the truth more."

"Okay, Professor Price," Max said sarcastically, an outlet for the nervous energy building inside her.

"Hey, you know you can tell me anything."

Max sat up, fidgeting with her too-loose sweatshirt. One side slid down her shoulder. "Do you... like Rachel?"

"Uh, no," Chloe said, absentmindedly staring at the brunette's exposed collarbone. "She's got a boyfriend."

"Oh."

Silence.

"Wait, are you...?"

Max had never, in her whole life, wanted to swallow a bar of soap so bad.

Chloe burst out laughing, unrestrained, free.

If she weren't so embarrassed, Max would have thought about how Chloe is the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen and how her laugh is the best thing she had ever heard.

 _Whoa. I_ am _in love with my best friend._

 _I'm a goner._

"Chloe," she snapped, cheeks burning.

"You – are you jealous of Rachel?" said Chloe, before launching into another peal of laughter.

"S-shut up!" Max could feel the heat spreading to her ears, her neck and her chest.

"That's priceless! Why would you—"

"'Cause she was holding your hand and – and kissing your cheek and stuff!" Max snapped petulantly.

"Oh?"

Max managed to speak through the hammering in her chest, the sinking feeling in her stomach, the squeezing in her lungs, and the lump in her throat.

"I like you," she blurted out.

Stunned to silence, Chloe blinked at the brunette.

"Like, _like_ you. A lot."

Chloe laughed breathily, throwing her head back.

 _Shit_ , Max cringed inwardly. _Prepare for the surefire rejection, you dumbass._

"You dork," said Chloe, grinning. "I like _like_ you a lot, too."

"Oh," Max sighed in relief. "I thought you..."

Chloe scooted closer, pulling the brunette onto her lap. "Max?"

Max blushed at their proximity. She could see some flecks of green in Chloe's eyes. "What?"

"Shut up," Chloe muttered, the smile on her face betraying her tone.

"Yeah?" Max asked distractedly, eyes trained on Chloe's lips.

Running on her newfound bravery, the brunette pushed herself flush against Chloe, wrapping her arms around the blue-haired girl's neck. With a hand in Chloe's hair, Max closed her eyes, pulled her closer and locked their lips together in an open-mouthed kiss.

Chloe's lips were soft and warm, moving against hers smoothly – Max smiled, making her laugh into the kiss. They both pulled apart, clearly unable to keep the smiles off their faces.

There weren't any fireworks, like she'd expected. Instead, it felt like a lungful of air after suffocating for so long.

"I love you," Max murmured.

A second later, Max found herself on her back with Chloe above her. The latter leaned in for another kiss, this time urgent, hard and bruising, leaving Max to match her fire.

"I love you too."

Chloe dropped a kiss on the brunette's lips, dragging her lips onto the corner of Max's mouth, down onto her jaw, the space just below her ear, and onto her neck. She sucked on the skin, taking it in between her teeth and running her tongue on it.

A moan made its way out of the brunette's throat. Her eyes widened, colour seeping into her cheeks. "Shit—"

"Hot," Chloe laughed. "You liked that."

Max nodded, grabbing fistfuls of her shirt to pull her closer.

A smirk spread across Chloe's lips. "So all I had to do was get you jealous, huh?"


	4. Chapter 4

**this is gonna suck but read it anyway i love u**

It's her last night in Arcadia so when Chloe throws a pebble at her bedroom window, Max lets her in through the front door. They don't bother to be quiet. They (don't) sneak up to her room and lie on the floor, and stare at the glow in the dark stars stuck onto her ceiling.

Chloe barely gets a word out before Max starts to cry.

"Shh. You'll be alright."

"I don't want to go. What if… what if I come back and—"

Chloe's voice is soft when she says, "You've changed my life just by existing. You'll still be my best friend. You'll always be. You're like…a supernatural phenomenon. You're a miracle, Max."

"I—"

"Don't cry. It's not like we'll never see each other again."

…

A year later and she still gets letters from Chloe. She writes back, on ridiculously pretentious parchment paper and printed envelopes. Chloe teases her about it but she can't find it in herself to care.

 _You deserve the best stationery._

…

She makes new friends.

Chloe's most recent letter lay on one of the boxes beneath her bed, misplaced, unopened and forgotten.

…

She's mad at herself when she finds the letter seven months later, mad at herself for thinking Chloe had abruptly stopped writing and forgot about her, mad at herself for not trying. She's too ashamed to try again.

…

Her parents tell her about William. She picks up a pen and writes and writes and writes to make up for all the times she didn't. She places the papers in the envelope, but something squeezes at her heart. She shoves the letter inside her drawer.

…

Two years pass and she gets a letter out of the blue one day, telling her how shitty Arcadia Bay has gotten, about Chloe recently getting expelled from Blackwell Academy.

 _Chloe has no chill when she talks about you. She makes you sound like an angel. But you're gone and she's always high off her ass. And hey, I don't know if writing is or was a thing between you two, but, have you never heard of phones? Get socialising on media, get with the times, hippie!_

– _Rachel_

…

She follows Rachel's advice, slowly getting back in touch with Chloe. Her heart flutters when she sees her best friend's pictures, in awe of how much Chloe has changed and is changing, in awe of how beautiful she is.

She's lost about the blue hair but she doesn't ask.

Chloe's posts and replies were a once in a blue moon occurrence… but she settles for it.

…

Another year passes and a friend and a poster inform her that: a) Chloe has a band, and b) they're coming to her city in a month.

Her friend asks her if she's ever heard of "the girl singer with blue hair" and she smiles. "Heard too much of her, actually."

She abstains from buying film so she can buy a pass.

…

She swears she sees Chloe somewhere, sitting stiffly on the grass, hunched over what looks like a sketchbook. She takes a picture, and her mother calls her over before she could muster up the guts to approach the girl. She spends the whole day wondering.

She gets her answer when Chloe posts a picture of a drawing a few hours later; a blue butterfly perched on a blade of grass.

…

"Seattle! How are you guys doing tonight?"

Everyone around her is screaming. Her heart is warm from Chloe's beautiful smile.

Just two feet away, yet she doubts Chloe can see her. So close yet so far.

Chloe introduces her band and they start their set. She makes jokes in between and tells stories and trips on wires and almost falls but laughs it all off.

"So if you guys helped us out with that last song, I'm hella sure you can help us with—"

Max jumps when a girl next to her screams, "I am so gay!"

"What? Oh – me too!" Chloe laughs.

Then her eyes land on Max.

Max wants to smile, wave, anything, but she's scared of what Chloe would think, scared of what she has to say. Besides, she isn't even looking at Max anymore.

"We've got another song for you guys," Chloe says as the screams die down. "If you know the words, please sing along. This one's called St Patrick."

She claps to a beat, the crowd quickly joining in.

" _You give me something to talk about, something to talk about…_ " she begins, her lips twisting into a wide smile. "Dance!"

Max feels silly; people around her are dancing and singing, arms in the air, and she's standing still as a stone.

" _You're a miracle._ "

She vaguely remembers hearing those words before. The memory hits her, and she can't help the small smile that spreads across her face. The crowd has gone quiet – save for Chloe and her guitar.

" _I need a miracle to bring me back to you, back to you,_ " she crooned. " _I know you're gone now, but I still wait for you, wait for you…"_ Her face breaks out into a grin. "Here we go – jump, jump, jump, jump!"

Chloe's looking at her, smiling, and Max finds herself smiling back so wide she thinks her face might split.

…

Max stands among a small crowd that had gathered near the exit. She's not sure about the exact reason why she's waiting.

(Yes she is. That reason takes the form of Chloe Price, blue-haired punk extraordinaire.)

Chloe Price, who's now standing in front of her with a half-smile and a hand in her hair. "Hey – _oof!_ "

She's so afraid of what Chloe has to say, but she hugs her anyway, teary-eyed and holding on tight.

 _Don't cry. It's not like we'll never see each other again._

Chloe smiles as she returns the hug. "Told you so."

Max lets out a watery laugh against her shoulder. "Yeah."

…

 **Chloe fronting a band wowsers sign me the FUCK up**

 **anyway this is fanfiction let's face it none of us here own anything & i'm guessing y'all broke af like me**

 **the song is by the band PVRIS! does aNYBODY ELSE THINK THIS SONG IS CHLOE-CENTRIC AS HELL**

 **pls tell me what u think my children**


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